In the lead up to the 1983 General Election, the third and final special edition of Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme ‘Briefing’ in which votes in three key northern constituencies get to quiz their parliamentary candidate on subjects of relevance to them. In this episode the votes of the re-drawn Newcastle Centre get to get to put questions to their candidates on subject such as law and order, the electoral system and the environment. Title: Tyne Tees Title: Briefing In the...

In the lead up to the 1983 General Election, the third and final special edition of Tyne Tees Television current affairs programme ‘Briefing’ in which votes in three key northern constituencies get to quiz their parliamentary candidate on subjects of relevance to them. In this episode the votes of the re-drawn Newcastle Centre get to get to put questions to their candidates on subject such as law and order, the electoral system and the environment. Title: Tyne Tees Title: Briefing In the Tyne Tees Television studio in Newcastle presenter Ian Breach introduces this special edition in which voters from newly formed parliamentary constituency of Newcastle Central put their questions to the four main parliamentary candidates running in the general election on June the 9th. The candidates are Piers Merchant for the Conservative Party, Nigel Todd for the Labour Party, John Horam for the SDP-Liberal Alliance and Neil Jacques for the Ecology party later to be known as the Green Party. A panoramic view of St George’s Terrace in Jesmond, Newcastle with cars parked outside shops and pedestrian walking past. The camera comes to stop on reporter Kevin Rountree standing on the corner with Acorn Road, in voiceover he provides a background on this Newcastle Central parliamentary constituency and reads out the results of a poll of voters asking them what they think are the most important issues. Unemployment comes out on top with everyone asked followed by education with a local issue raised being the lack of playground and park space and the so-called image of the Northeast. Back in the studio Ian Breach provides results on a recent Mori Poll show the voting intentions for those in Newcastle Central. He them provides more information on each of the four candidates. On the corner of St George’s Terrace and Acorn Road in Jesmond Kevin takes the first question from a woman who wants to know what the candidates would do to control the crime rate in the Cowgate area of the city? Back in the studio Ian Breach first asking John Horam for the SDP-Liberal Alliance to respond to this question on law and order followed by the other three candidates. Returning to the woman in Jesmond she wants to see the police spend more time investigating crimes and is concerned that less affluent areas of Newcastle such as Cowgate are prioritised less by the police than those living in areas such as Jesmond. Neil Jacques for the Ecology party responds to her concerns with the idea of community policing, again the other candidates also make comments. A second question is put from another woman who asks the candidates if the current electoral system is fair and truly reflect public opinion? Again, the question is first put to John Horam who laughs and says the system isn’t fair providing more details. The other candidates give their responses. Back to Jesmond a man puts a question to Piers Merchant asking him if he was aware that his name had been put forward as an election agent for the National Democratic Party in Nottingham in 1970, a party which is extreme right-wing. Piers responds by saying it is a ‘red herring’ and wasn’t linked to the party. He also believes it’s not a coincidence that something that happened thirteen years previous has only been brought up now in this election year. Retuning to the man in Jesmond, he isn’t happy with Pier’s reply and explains why he doesn’t believe he was not aware of his name being used in election material. Piers simply replies that he didn’t receive any letters or notifications as he wasn’t living at a different address. Back in Jesmond a fourth question is put to all the candidates, but more specifically to Piers Merchant again relating to freedom of choice. In the studio a discussion is had with Piers explains that people have the freedom to choose how an individual spends their own money, but the other candidates each attack him for not taking into consideration the 4 million unemployed or those on low wages who have less or no freedom. A final question is put by a middle-aged woman who asks all the candidates what their parties would do to make sure her children grow up in a clean and healthy environment. Neil Jacques for the Ecology party responds first by banning lead in petrol and nuclear weapons to start with. He goes onto provide more details followed by briefly responses from the other candidates. Thanking each of the candidates for their time Ian Breach brings the programme to a close. Over the closing credits St George’s Terrace in Jesmond with cars turning in and out of Acorn Road. Credit: Reporter Kevin Rowntree Research Lynne Petrie, Sharon Needham Associate Producer Alex Murchie Political Editor John Sleight Director Ronnie Mutch Producer Bob Farnworth End title: Tyne Tees Colour. © Tyne Tees Television Ltd. MCMLXXXIII